


How the Son of Odin Got his Groove Back

by Wonderlandleighleigh



Series: Just This Once, Everybody Lives [4]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Chuck (TV), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor (Movies)
Genre: AU, Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Spoilers, Depression, F/M, Gen, Great British Bake Off - Freeform, Kidfic, Mentions of Captain America having a sex life, Self Care
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-08
Updated: 2019-05-08
Packaged: 2020-02-28 16:14:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,534
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18759913
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wonderlandleighleigh/pseuds/Wonderlandleighleigh
Summary: Thor finds his place in the world.





	How the Son of Odin Got his Groove Back

When Steve Rogers swings open his apartment door, he’s barely dressed. Sure, he’s got boxer shorts on, but not in the dignified “I just rolled out of bed from a good night’s sleep” kind of way. 

Nope. 

They’re on in the “someone recently shoved them down in a hurry. I’m only wearing them because there was a knock on the door. Otherwise I’d be buckass naked” kind of way.

His hair is mussed, his beard is scruffy, and Thor is impressed. 

“Rogers, you look like someone has had their very wicked way with you.” 

The Sentinel of Liberty turns a funny shade of red and clears his throat. “Thor. I...I thought you’d rejoined the Guardians.” 

Thor sighs deeply, eyes drooping. “The Guardians and I have decided to part ways. We have learned through much trial and error that we are not compatible.” 

Steve gives him a sympathetic look, rubbing at his hair. “You uh...you wanna come inside?” 

Thor nods, and shuffles into the apartment, taking a breath. “This is a very nice place, Rogers.” 

“Yeah, it does the trick,” Steve agrees, leaning against the couch. 

“Is young miss Margaret home?” Thor asks, turning to his friend. 

“Still asleep,” Steve tells him. He opens his mouth to keep talking, but he’s interrupted by a tall, gorgeous creature stumbling out of his bedroom. 

Thor’s eyes widen as he watches her. She’s clad only in one of Steve’s button-down shirts, and her hair is just as messy as her companion’s. 

She pecks Rogers on the lips softly and smiles. “Morning, Babe. I’m gonna start the coffee.” 

“Thanks,” Steve responds, giving Thor an incredibly sheepish look before shaking his head. “Uh...Zondra, this is Thor. Thor, this is my uh...my girlfriend. Zondra.” 

Zondra peeks back out of the kitchen and nods. “Hey.” 

“Hello,” Thor waves, grinning widely before making a beeline for the Captain. “Well done, my friend,” he says softly. “I always knew you had it in you.” 

Steve rolls his eyes and crosses his arms. “Okay. So things didn’t work out with Quill’s crew.” 

“No, they did not.” 

“So what’s your plan?” 

“I…” Thor takes a breath and swallows. “I do not have one. I...I handed my kingdom over to Valkyrie, which was the right thing for my people. But...Quill’s team were difficult to work with, and the Avengers are retired, and...and I am still…” 

He looks down, knowing that he is still not where he once was physically, or even emotionally. 

“I don’t know where Banner is,” he says. “Or Natasha. I am aware of how busy Tony and Pepper are, and Clint is on his farm...I thought...perhaps…” 

Steve smiles at him sympathetically. “How ‘bout this: I’ll air out one of the other units in the building. You can stay here a while...get your feet under you again, figure out your next move.” 

“I’d be very grateful,” Thor smiles at him. “Thank you.” 

“But I got some rules,” Steve says, crossing his arms tighter. 

“Ah,” Thor nods. “What are they?” 

“Maybe lay off the alcohol a little. Maggie’s still little and I don’t really want drunk people around her. And no video games, you’ll eat up the bandwidth on the wifi,” Steve tells him. “And you go runnin’ with Zondra and me every morning.” 

Thor grimaces. “An...acceptable compromise. I suppose.” 

Steve smiles and slugs the god of thunder’s shoulder gently. “It’ll be fun.” 

***** 

It’s not fun.

For the first week, Thor does nothing but feel down. He’s so out of shape that keeping up with Zondra, who is a mere mortal, is nigh on impossible, and he doesn’t know what to do with himself. No video games and no drink...those were his main comforts over the last five years.

To have neither of those things is is challenge. 

He used to enjoy a good challenge. 

He still does. He’s just…

It’s just…

He watches television, and wonders what to do now.

***** 

Maggie is a darling child. Playful and sweet, and when Thor spends time with Rogers in the garden, she takes fallen flowers and makes him a crown from them, which he wears atop his head with pride. 

He sits on the bench swing and watch as Steve shifts soil and settles new plants in, watering and weeding others. 

“My mother used to garden,” Thor tells him. 

Steve grins up at him. “Mine always wanted to,” he says, sitting on his haunches and looking around. “She always talked ‘bout...savin’ up her money...retiring and movin’ to the suburbs. She always wanted a big garden.” 

“It was not to be, I imagine,” Thor guesses. 

“No, it wasn’t,” Steve nods, looking at him. “She got sick when I was eighteen...couldn’t shake it off.” 

“I am sorry, Rogers. That sounds awful.” He gazes at the other man. “Humans live such brief lives. I often wonder how you all recover from losing loved ones after such a short amount of time.” 

Steve smiles sadly. “Just makes us more thankful for what we got.” 

“My brother often viewed Midgardians as weak and petty,” Thor muses. “He has been wrong so many times, it would make him turn in his grave.” 

“I know he was a pain in the ass,” Steve says. “But I also know you miss him.” 

“I do,” Thor admits.

They both go silent for a long moment as Steve starts weeding another set of plants. 

He glances up at his friend. “I know we’re not Asgard. We don’t have a bifrost or...whatever else...but Earth’s got a lot goin’ for it. You could learn a new style of fighting, or take up some different hobbies...learn an instrument.” 

Thor looks at him curiously. “What do you do? Aside from this?” 

“I draw,” Steve grins as Maggie rushes over with another flower crown for her father. She settles it on his head and he smiles. “Thanks, Magpie.” 

Thor chuckles. “I have seen you bloody and battered in war, and knee-deep in dead alien threats, Steve Rogers. And here you are, wrist-deep in dirt wearing a crown of flowers atop your head.” 

“I hate to break it to you pal, but you got one, too,” Steve smirks. 

Thor sighs and sits back, patting his belly. “Hobbies. Hm.” 

***** 

Hi tries to learn new fighting skills, but he’s too competitive, and he winds up being thrown out three different martial arts classes.

Art doesn’t work very well, either. He doesn’t have an eye for it. 

All seems hopeless, and Thor sinks lower into depression. His world is no more, his people are no longer his, his parents and brother and his closest Asguardian friends have all been killed…

And he can’t even start over properly. 

He sneaks two 24 packs of beer into his apartment, and drinks all of them in one night, waking when there’s a pounding on the front door. 

“Thor?!” it’s Rogers’ voice. “Y’okay in there?” 

He stumbles over, and swings it open, blinking at the other man. 

Steve grins sadly. “Hey. We were goin’ for our run…” 

“No run,” Thor grunts, and swings the door, only to have Steve catch it before it can close, following him into the apartment. 

“I’m gonna go get you a big glass of water.” 

*****   
“I think he’ll be okay,” Thor hears Steve tell Zondra through the door after he leaves. “He just needs some more time. He’s been through a lot.” 

Zondra blows out a breath. “I guess, if there’s anything I can do…” 

“You’re sweet,” Steve tells her. “But this is on Thor. He’s gotta figure this out for himself.” 

***** 

He recovers from drinking all of that beer, but still spends most of his time watching television. He just doesn’t know what else to do. 

He flips channels quickly, before stopping on the one of the food channels, where a group of people are making beautiful pastries and baked goods. 

Thor watches intently. They’re all so deeply kind to each other, and even though the judges are hard, they aren’t cruel. 

He watches this all day. Apparently it is called “The Great British Baking Off” and at the end of the contest of baking champions, one of them is named the winner, and awarded and glass plate, proclaiming that they, among all of their incredibly talented peers, is worthy; is the best of them all. 

And everyone is happy for them! No one is angry; no one is mean about it. They all celebrate together that they have been through so many trials and tribulations, and it reminds Thor of how good that can feel; how it felt to defeat Thanos and hold his friends close and celebrate.

Obviously baking has much lower stakes. 

Still.

It’s a nice feeling. A good feeling.

And so Thor opens up the laptop that Stark provided him, and looks for recipes. He searches through all sorts of pies and cakes and cookies and breads and pastries and they all look delicious but he’s never, ever cooked for himself before. 

Well, there was that one time he caught a wild beast with Sif and the Warriors Three and they roasted it over a roaring fire in the middle of a quiet battlefield.

But other than that, not so much.

No time like the present. 

***** 

He steps through the front door of the building holding five grocery bags full of ingredients, and spots Maggie watching him from the stairs. 

“Ah. The fair miss Margaret,” he grins. “Does your father know you’re playing on the stairs?” 

Maggie giggles. “What are you doing?” 

“I,” Thor says proudly as he fishes his keys out of his pocket. “Am going to make cupcakes.” 

Maggie lights up and hops up and down. “Cupcakes!” 

“Yes!” Thor tells her. “And when I am done, fair Margaret, I will bring you some.” 

“Yay!” 

“Magpie, stop playin’ on the stairs!” Thor hears Steve’s voice. 

He watches as the little girl dashes back up to their apartment, and opens his own door to get started. 

***** 

His first attempt is not good.

He calls Darcy. 

“I thought by adding more baking powder it would make them even fluffier, but they collapsed.” 

“Baking is chemistry,” Darcy tells him. “You gotta be precise, otherwise it all goes to crap.” 

“...Ah.” Thor blows out a breath. “I shall try again.” 

“Hey, have you called Ja-” 

“Thank you for the advise, Darcy, I shall speak with you later.” 

He hangs up. 

And he tries again.

***** 

He tries again.

And again.

And again. 

And eventually, after a couple of months of practice and trying out different recipes…

He gets really good. 

He makes fresh bread, and pies and muffins. Steve lets him use some of the produce from the garden for his baking, which nets wonderful results. 

It also boosts his confidence and drive. He never misses a run with Steve (Zondra eventually goes back to work, but when she’s around, she joins them as well), and Thor picks up other hobbies as well. He learns to knit, which is relaxing in ways he’d never dreamed possible. He even goes to a stitch night every Wednesday at a local yarn shop.

He brings his baked goods with him to share, and the women in the group welcome him with open arms.

Thor wakes up one day, and realizes that even with all of the baked goods he making (and eating), his clothes are too big. His muscles are soft, and he hasn’t dropped all the weight, but his daily runs have gotten easier. He’s been washing and combing his hair regularly, and...

He feels like Thor. 

Maybe not the old Thor, but a Thor he can live with. A Thor he can look in the eyes when he looks into the mirror. 

And it’s a relief. 

***** 

“It’s Nat’s birthday next week,” Steve tells him one day as they jog down the street, Maggie hitching a ride on Steve’s back. 

“Oh?” Thor asks. “Wonderful.” 

“Well...it’s the day she picked to be her birthday,” Steve amends. “She don’t actually know.” 

“Ah,” Thor chuckles at how heavy Rogers’ accent has gotten. 

“I’m havin’ a dinner for her,” Steve says. “Zondra’s in town, and I’m inviting Tony and Pepper and Morgan. Bruce and Rhodey, and Clint. Sam and Sharon and Hill. I invited Fury but somethin’ tells me he’s not a party person. You’re comin, right?” 

“I...I suppose,” Thor says. “I don’t see why not.” 

“You should bake somethin’,” Steve encourages. “She’d love that.” 

“You lot enjoy cakes on your birthdays, yes?” Thor asks quizzically. 

“Yep. Traditionally.” 

“Then cake Natasha shall have.” 

***** 

It’s four layers of chocolate cake, with a cherry filling and a chocolate frosting. Thor pipes “Happy Day of Birth, Nat” on top and tries his hand at piping roses, but stops halfway through because with the chocolate frosting, it looks more like poop than anything else. 

Thor takes a deep breath, lifts the cake into a pastry box, and heads up the stairs to the top floor, not bothering to knock. 

Everyone is already there, chatting and drinking from red plastic cups. The two almost-preschoolers are playing in a corner with some building blocks, giggling away happily. 

“Thor! Hey!” Bruce cries, walking over for a hug. 

Thor edges back. “Not until I’ve set the cake down, Banner. I’ll not have you crush my good work.” 

“Wow, okay,” Bruce chuckles, watching as Thor heads for the kitchen, where Tony, and Steve are chatting. 

“Hey, Thor!” Tony cries happily, patting his shoulder with his metal arm. “You look great! There’s a sparkle in your eye and everything.” 

“Yes, thank you, Stark,” Thor grins. “You’re looking well. And colorful.” he flicks the red and gold metal arm gently. 

“Morgan’s favorite colors,” Tony jokes. “So you gotta give me the skinny on Rogers’ new gal pal. I know nothing and it’s causing a serious case of Fomo. Tell me everything about her.” 

Thor laughs. “When I showed up a few months ago, Our dear Captain was in quite the ravished state.” 

Steve rolls his eyes. “Seriously?” 

“I miss everything now,” Tony complains. 

Natasha walks in, cutting off Tony’s whining as she wraps her arms around one of Thor’s. 

“You brought me a cake.” 

“I did,” Thor grins at her. “I hear it is customary upon one’s birthday.” 

“It is,” Natasha grins. “Can I see?” 

Thor nods and walks over to the counter, flipping up the box top. 

The group crowds around, awed noises rising up from each of them. 

“Holy crap,” Sam comments. “You made that?” 

“I did,” Thor admits. “I just put the finishing touches on it moments before I came upstairs.”

Natasha grins up at him gratefully. “It’s the nicest cake I’ve ever seen.” 

“Don’t say that until you’ve tried it,” Clint jokes. “It could be terrible.” 

“You mean like you, causing several international incidents?” Rhodey asks sardonically. “Terrible like that?” 

“Come now,” Thor scolds. “This is Nat’s birthday party. We are here to celebrate.” 

“Yeah, what he said,” Natasha grins. “Cake first?” 

“I made chicken wings,” Steve complains. 

Natasha just grins wider, up at Thor. “Cake first.” 

Thor grins back, and knows that at least for now, he has a place in the universe. 

And it is sweet.


End file.
